That Girl
by Spanish Sunrise
Summary: Brother Bear 2 completely in Kenais' point of view, revealing his personal thoughts and feelings, especially about Nita.
1. Nobody Else

I opened my eyes and gazed at the sleeping cub curled up next to me. Koda snored softly. I gently eased myself away from him, and went outside of our cave to look around. They dark sky was just starting to lighten in the early morning. I closed my eyes and listened to the unmistakable sound of the chirping of the birds, and the muffled sound of a roaring waterfall in the distance. It was spring. I took a deep breath of the scent of pine needles and gazed at the landscape before me, that was slowly sprouting to life, for the first time in six months. I stretched myself and yawned, cramped from my hibernating, watching the Northern Lights of the Equinox dance in the sky, knowing that Sitka was somewhere up there, watching over me. I don't know how long I sat there, dazed, but it was already morning when I heard what sounded like crying behind me.

"Kenai!" Koda cried. Getting more worried and louder each time. "Kenai!"

"I'm right here Koda, calm down." I walked into the cave and dragged him outside. He looked extremely happy to see me.

"Kenai! At first I was like, whoa, where is he? But then I was like, whoa, and then I was like, _whoa._" I laughed at Koda's weird style of speaking.

"OK buddy, lets go find something to eat." I walked away then stopped, waiting for him to follow, he jogged to me, and together we both walked through the forest, our paws making crunching sounds on the snow, taking in every sensation of the soon coming spring.

* * *

Koda begged me to play tag with him and I finally agreed, we splashed through rivers, jumped over logs, and ducked under pine tree branches. I watched like a worried, hopeful, parent as Koda crossed a fallen tree log, trying to balance. He almost made it too, but he turned around to see if I was watching and slipped on some ice. He was hanging upside down on the log, screaming when I caught him, making him giggle, and continued out journey. We were walking again when we saw two familiar faces running towards us, shouting excitedly, no other than Rutt and Tuke.

"Look out! She's after us, eh!" Rutt shouted, running behind me.

"Oh, gee, you gotta help us!" Tuke screamed, his eyes wide with fear.

"Yeah, you gotta hide us eh!" Rutt replied, trembling. Koda and I looked at each other confused_. What?_

"Like, here she comes!" They shouted and jumped into the bushes behind us. Confused we turned around to see who they were running from, but didn't have a chance as they pulled us in by our collars after them. Through the leaves of the bushes, we saw her, and she was one pissed-off, babe. She snorted, looked around for us, then trampled off.

"I _told you_that was no moosette." Tuke cried angrily.

"Well she looked liked one from behind." Rutt defended himself. I watched the two brothers argue, an amused smile displaying on my lips.

"Hey, what's gotten into you two?" I asked, stepping out of the bushes.

"Well it's that time of year, eh." Rutt said smugly.

"Spring Fever man." Tuke remarked.

"Spring...What?" I asked, not bothering to hide my disgust.

"Well you know like.....the birds..." Rutt read off.

"Yeah, and .......the bees." Tuke added, they both looked nervously at Koda.

"And the moosettes, if you know what we mean by, _moosettes._" Rutt stated smugly, wiggling his eyebrows. I tossed Koda on my back, and laughed.

"Yeah, well, don't look now, but your girlfriend's back." I smiled at them screaming and we all started to run as the 'moosette' came charging back.

"Oh geez." Tuke screamed.

"Uh-oh, bye!" Rutt yelled to us over his shoulder. We laughed and jumped onto a hill, sliding on the snow towards the bear river. Koda covered my eyes with his paws, making it difficult to see, and increasing my fear of hitting a tree. Amazingly, we made it to the bottom unscathed. I fell on the ice, and Koda proppelled himself off of my head, under Tug's legs, into a young couple who managed to dodge him, screaming, and right into a pile of snow.

"Hahahaha! Awsome! Let's do it again!" He giggled. Tug and I chuckled at his average, childlike, behavior.

"Hey, Kenai!" Tug stalked over to me.

"Hey, how are ya Tug?" I asked him.

"Where are ya'll off too in such a hurry?" he asked with a smile. I sat up.

"Crowberry Ridge." I stated, catching Koda as he slid past me and putting him on my lap.

"We're gonna get dibs! There's elderberries, raspberries, thorn-berries, candle-berries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, huckleberries...." I watched Koda count off the species of berries on his paws. Tug cut in.

"Hey, slow down now, that's alot of berries." he laughed.

"Yeah! There's plenty! You wanna come with us?" he asked innocently. We turned into the direction of a she bear, who was shouting Tug's name and waving her arms.

"Tuuuug!" she sang.

"Haha! Well I'd love to Koda, but, you can't keep the girl's waiting." he chuckled.

"Aaah, who needs girls." I laughed as Koda made a face like he just ate some rotten berries. "We're just a couple of guys out in the country.

"That's right!" I interjected, so sure of my self. "Kenai and Koda. We don't need anybody else." I walked past him but he stopped me, grabbing me by the shoulders.

"Okay but, you can't run from love." he warned, then added in a whisper. "It has a way of tracking you down."

"-Tug." again he was interrupted by the she-bear. He let go of me and walked over to her. Koda and I laughed as we listened to him call to her.

"Oh, uh, hiya, Huna, you look mighty lovely today." he talked slowly and nervously, trying not to mess-up. Koda and I erupted into laughter, and continued on our journey.

* * *

As we walked away from the river, Koda was still laughing.

"Did you see the look on Tug's face." I smiled up at him, nodding. He made a kissy face and a high voice, a poor imitaion of Tug, but still."Can't keep the _girls_ waiting." he mimicked, making me laugh. I stopped under a fallen tree trunk that I thought would be good enough shelter for the night.

"Alright, how about we get some rest." I told him, prying him off of my neck.

"Rest!" Koda protested. "We've been hibernating for six months! Who needs rest!" he said, disgusted.

"A couple of bears who are gonna beat all the other bears to Crowberry Ridge." I persuaded, raising my eyebrows, finding Koda awfully amusing.

"And...and..we're gonna get first dibs on the berries right?" he asked hopefully. I patted his head.

"You bet" I said, and he laughed. "_If, _you promise to go to sleep." I added, lying down.

"Okay! Okay! Okay!" he shouted excitedly as he curled up next to me.

"I know all bears like berries, but I _love_berries." he said, practically drooling, I smiled at him.

"Goodnight." I replied softly.

"Are you a berry liker or a berry lover?" he asked me.

"_Goodnight_, Koda." I was getting annoyed. He sensed that, and stopped talking, falling asleep quickly. I looked at him, satisfyed that he was actually sleeping, I drifted off into a deep sleep. Again I dreamed that dream of a memory coming back to haunt me. _Nita._


	2. The Dream

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In my dream, I saw two innocent, small children running through the forest. A boy and a girl. The boy was me. I recognized the girl as my child hood best friend, Nita, next to my brothers, Sitka, whom I respected and looked up to, and Denahi, who was fun but always getting me into trouble. The children in my dream were laughing and having fun. The boy was so different from me, making me miss my human form a little.

The boy knocked Nita down with his pole vaulting stick, expecting her to cry. But she only laughed at him and stood back up, hitting him with _her _pole vaulting stick, and running ahead of him.

"Race you to Hokani Falls!" she laughed. The boy caught up to her, and then ran ahead of Nita, who tried to follow him, but slipped through some thin ice.

"Kenai!" I jumped as I heard her scream my name. The boy in my dream turned, his eyes wide, and ran towards the place Nita had slipped through. I saw Nita's frightened expression, as she was sinking deeper into the darkness, of the cold arctic water. I saw the boy jump into the water and manage to pull her out. When he did they sat on the ice for a few minutes, shiver and coughing, taking in deep gulps of air, until the boy stood up and suggested they go to higher, dryer ground, Nita nodded through her tears, and followed him.

I saw the two children walk up a steep mountain side, next two three waterfalls, which I recognized as Hokani Falls. I saw the boy build a fire as Nita waited patiently. Then they huddled over to the fire, both shivering, and Nita coughing and sneezing. I saw myself look at Nita's depressed form. My heart went out to her. I saw myself scoot over to her and pull off the amulet that Denahi, yes_, Denahi_, had made me for my sixth birthday.

"Here." I heard the boy say, who then slipped the necklace over her head, watching her face brighten into a smile. She giggled, then stood up, grabbing a burnt stick from the fire, and drawing something on the cave wall with the black burnt ash. I saw myself frown, but then smile when I saw what she drew. It was a picture of two children holding hands.

"We're always gonna be best friends, huh?" she asked me with a smile. We sat gazing at each other with wide, stupid, grins, until we were interupted by something in the sky. It was one of the most beautiful display of colorful lights that I had ever seen. We were at the Equinox. We watched silently as the spirits changed winter into spring. We gazed at the aurora in awe, until we were pulled back into the real world by the voice of Nita's father, on the river below us.

"Nita! Time to go!" he shouted up at her. She slowly turned to me, with a disappointed look on her face.

"Bye Kenai." she whispered sadly. I saw the boy pout, until Nita jokingly punched him in the arm, sending them into a fit of giggles as she ran down the steep, rocky, hill. "See ya!" she shouted over her shoulder, as her father pushed their kayak away. I watched her go, waving at her.

"By Nita!" I called only in my dream, or so I thought. "Bye Nita! Bye Nita! Bye Nita!" I whispered.

"Nita! Nita!" I opened my eyes and realized that it was only a dream. I pursed my lips in a frown, hoping no one heard what I said. Wrong again.

"So who's Nita." I looked up to see Koda's small form smiling down at me. I sat up, beginning to panic.

"Huh? What?" I asked frantically, trying to play dumb. He didn't buy it.

"Did you know that you talk in your sleep?" he asked with a smirk. "You were going, Nita! Nita!" he moaned, then got serious again. "So who's Nita?" he asked with a frown. I knew I couldn't talk myself out of this one.

"Oh, uh, she's a girl.....I used to know." I replied hesitantly, scratching the back of my head.

"Whatever happened to her." I looked down at Koda, his eyes genuinely concerned.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I guess she grew up." I began walking away, expecting Koda to follow me.


	3. Someone Familiar

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Koda and I were walking through the snow covered forest, and I was trying not to look disgusted by the...er..._amusing_....story about his friend Bucky, some walnuts, and his nose.

"So I told Bucky: now next time you gotta sneeze, please take the walnuts out of your mouth first." Koda blurted, I chuckled slightly.

"And then, I started laughing so hard, guess what came out of my nose?" Koda continued, but I had had enough.

"Uh, uh, Koda! Speaking of food...." I trailed off. Koda walked in front of me and plopped down on the snow covered ground.

"I know what you mean. All this walking had made me _crazy _hungry." Koda spun around. I smiled at him. Koda began to sniff the ground in response. I stared at him, confused. But he seemed to know what he was doing. He walked a few paces then stopped, beginning to dig in the snow like a mad man...er...bear, letting out a triumphant laugh. I watched him struggle with a smirk. I shook my head, and picked him up by the neck with my teeth, tossing him aside.

"Hey!" Koda yelled. I ignored his protest.

"Alright, step aside kid, let a _real _bear show you how the digging's done." I teased.

"Well sure it's easy now, I gave you a head start." he said, dodging the loose snow that I was digging up. I laughed.

"Ha! Jackpot! All the roots you can eat, my friend." I smiled at him. He bounced to my side.

"I _knew _I was on to _something." _he said.

"Yeah, you did now?" I smirked.

"What can I say, I've got killer instincts." he flashed me a cocky grin.

"Yeah, right." I snorted. I began to dig through the roots, but for some reason, Koda wasn't. I found a familiar looking root and turned to him.

"Oh hey look, is this a tuber?" I asked, but Koda jumped on my head.

"Get down!" he yelled.

"What is it?" I whispered, worry playing across my face. I watched Koda sniff the air. I scanned the forest with him. But their, in the distance, we saw a human, a hunter.

"Quick! Hide in there!" I yelled, shoving him into a hallow log. I could hear my heart pound loudly, like a drum in my ears, as I watched the hunter approach the log. The hunter came nearer, and nearer, stepping on to the log. He must have heard Koda gasp, for he started to look around, his spear ready to strike. Furious, I rose behind him, growling, when he turned around, I hit him with my paw, roaring, sending him flying about ten feet away from Koda's hide-out, into a small clearing.

I followed him, my teeth glistening, my claws out, me, ready to attack. But the hunter was faster, he grabbed his spear, pointing it at me, but I was slightly stronger. I knocked his spear out of his hands with my paw, breaking the pointy edge off. He was now defenseless. I grabbed him by the collar with my teeth, rising to my hind legs, he was hanging a few feet off the ground. His hood flew off, and light shined on to his face.

I realized, it was a girl. Something stopped me from attacking her further. Perhaps the fear in her big almond shaped eyes. I found her to be somewhat familiar. Something about her long, silky black hair, her tan coffee skin, and her huge, deep brown eyes. I finally realized it, it was Nita. Surprised, I dropped her. She yelped as she hit the ground, her breath coming out in sharp, ragged breaths as the sunlight bathed her. I could tell that she was still scared, and I, was defintaly still surprised. Curious, I took a step closer.

"Nita?" I gasped. But in response, I received a hard hit on the head from her, and the stick end of her spear. "Ow!" I yelled. She kept swinging the stick at me, I tried to stop her, I finally managed to get a hold of that darn stick.

"No! Nita! It's me." I said reassuringly, gently placing the stick down on the ground, you see, her hands were also on it, gripping it so tightly, her knuckles turned white. "It's me, Kenai." I added. She gazed at me with wonder and amazement.

"Kenai?" she whispered. I nodded. "It's really you?"

"Yeah, it's really me." I muttered.

"Wow!" she giggled, standing up, I sat down, watching her circle me. "When I heard that you were turned into a bear, I didn't realize that you looked so much like a....bear." she said, touching my shoulder.

"Yeah, well." I began to circle her. "Look at you, you've changed." I realized how beautiful she had grown up to be. She had developed curves, and lost all of her baby fat. The roundness in her face disappeared, changing int a perfect heart. She was gorgeous.

_"No Kenai! You sick animal! She's a human, you're a bear, it can't work_!" my mind scolded me. I closed my eyes and shook my head, changing the awkward subject.

"Wait a minute. You can talk! I mean, you can understand me?" I asked, amazed.

"Yeah, the spirits did it for me, so that when I found you, I could talk to you." she explained, with a shrug.

"Whoa whoa wait a minute, you've been looking for me, why?" I asked, pleased, my stomach churning with excitement.

"Well, this is why." she said, reaching into her bad and pulling out the amulet that I gave her years ago. I gasped.

"You kept this, after all these years." I whispered to myself, touched, pleased, overjoyed.

"The Great Spirits told our shaman that this amulet bonds us as one." she began. I was ecstatic, doing cartwheels in my mind.

"Really!?" I grinned.

"Now, you an I have to go to Hokani Falls...." she continued. My excitement was limitless.

"Together, just like when we were kids?!" I felt o top of the world.

"....and burn it." he finished.

"And burn it!" I was so excited I needed time before my mind could process that that was a _bad_ thing. "Burn it?" I asked in disbelief. My heart fell.

"_Crap."_

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	4. The Insult

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I stood staring at her refusing to believe what she just said. I just couldn't. I shook my head.

"What?" I asked her, frowning. She stared at me with the kind of expression a child gets when they know that they did something wrong and are about to get a time out.

"It's no big deal." she protested."It's only a little trinket." she held up the necklace.

"A little, 'trinket'." I was shocked, and insulted.

"Well, what I mean, is we were just little kids." she told me. Ouch, _that_ hurt. I growled softly. She sighed."They won't let me get married until it's destroyed." she explained. My paw flew up to my chin. I pretended to think about it.

"Hmm...let me think about this." then putting on the most obnoxious expression I could muster, I continued."Sorry, can't help you."

"What!?" Nita's shoulders slouched, but she still refused to take 'no' for an answer.

"So have fun burning the 'silly little trinket' on your own." I glared at her, still deeply insulted.

"No no no." she whined."You don't understand, we have to burn this _together, _otherwise, it won't work!" she cried.

"What won't work?" Koda's scratchy voice came from behind us. We turned to seem his smiling, his expression innocent.

"Uh, Nita this is my brother Koda, Koda Nita, Nita Koda." I quickly introduced them, making my tone of voice sound as bored as humanly...er....bearly possible.

"So _you're _Nita!" Koda realized. Oh crap."Kenai was just dreaming about you!" he gushed. I stared at Nita. I was frozen with fear and embarrassment, my mind panicking. Nita looked over at me and giggled, her hand covering her mouth. I looked away.

"I _was not_." I hissed at Koda, my whole body and face was on fire.

"Was too!" he protested."You should hear him, he was going, _Nita, Nita!" _My paw quickly went over his mouth, making him stop talking before her told her everything, stuff that I would _never _live down. I pulled him on to my back, then turned to her.

"Well it's been nice talking to you, but Koda and I have big plans to go to Crowberry Ridge." I muttered, walking away from her. I hated leaving her. But she was messing with my ego.

"Wait!" she called after us. I stopped dead in my tracks, thinking she changed her mind about the amulet, but she didn't.

"You're just gonna walk away? You're not gonna help me take care of this?" she yelled, anger and disbelief were evident in her desperate voice. I rolled my eyes.

"Nope." I replied, I knew I was being a total jerk, but whatever.

"You know, neither of us can get on with our lives _until_we burn this amulet." she crossed her arms triumphantly and smiled. I turned my head to face her, it was obvious that she thought she had me there.

"I'll take me chances." I responded, making my voice all 'bored and powerfully.' Nita's face fell. Her eyes were narrowed into dangerous slits. It was scary. Like, '_scary' _scary.

"Ok, _fine." _she snapped, throwing her arms up in the air. But I _still _didn't listen, walking away from her."I guess that I'll just wait for them to turn you back into a human and send _you _to find _me_." I would have kept going but Koda jumped off of my back and landed in front of me, his expression worried.

"Would they do that?" he asked, his eyes wide with fear. I shook my head.

"No, no buddy, of course not." I reassured him, though I was beginning to doubt it myself, and I did _not_want to loose Koda.

"Well, how do you know?" Nita ventured, taking a careful step towards us. I stared at her like she was crazy.

"What if they _did _turn you back into a man?" Koda cried,"We wouldn't be brothers anymore." as he gasped, his eyes were glossy with tears, I didn't want him to cry.

"No Koda..that's not..." I sighed, no use arguing with it, better safe than sorry." I glared at Nita menacingly.

"_Fine." _I snapped."We'll go to Hokani Falls." I turned away from her and smiled at Koda.

"But then, just the two of us, we'll race down to Crowberry Ridge." I whispered, trying to cheer him up. I felt Nita watching us, maybe she was jealous, that'd be a welcome emotion from her.

"Pinky swear?" Koda asked, standing up and offering his pinky.

"Pinky swear." I replied, shaking pinkies with him. We laughed. Nita brought us back to reality.

"Then it's settled." she laughed nervously, clasping her hands together."Are you ready?" Then I sighed, trying to act all annoyed and like it was this _huge _sacrifice, but really, I was sort of looking forward to spending more time with her.

"As I'll ever be." I muttered, glaring at her, then walking away. She called me back again. Now what?

"Um, Hokani Falls is, uh, _this _way." she smiled understandingly, gesturing at the opposite direction. Koda laughed loudly.

"I new that!" I protested.

"No he didn't!" Koda laughed at me, as I walked past them, Nita was also giggling."Kenai had _a _lousy sense of direction."

"That is not true." I defended my self, calling back behind me, hoping that they were already following me. But Koda wouldn't quit.

"One time, Kenai was trying to find our cave in the dark....." I tuned them out. I sighed. In about ten minutes, a girl I haven't seen for ten years, managed to single handedly, ruin my life.

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	5. Romantic Advice

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We had been walking for about three hours now. My status? Getting more miserable by the mile. Koda was spilling all of my most embarrassing moments. My face burned, it felt like my fur turned red from 'blushing.' I desperately tried to search for a way to get Koda off of this delicate subject, but unfortunately, to no avail.....yet.

"At first, Kenai didn't know the first thing about being a bear." Koda ratted, making Nita giggle and sneak quick, amused glances at me."One time, we were hunting pine nuts, and he stuck his big head inside a hollow tree." Koda continued.

_"Oh help me." _I was beginning to was I was invisible.

"And I said, 'you better not do that, cause you don't know who lives there', but he did, cause you can't tell Kenai _nothing."_Koda talked rapidly, excitedly.

"Alright Koda." I rasped, gritting my teeth, like he cared.

"And next thing you know, he spent the _whole _week smelling like a stinky skunk." Koda began giggling, and I felt like throwing up. Nita giggled too, her hand covering her mouth, and looking back at me.

"Something tells me that 'stinky skunk', is an improvement." she teased. Yup, definitely make me crystal-clear invisible. I let out a low growl, my scowl deepening.

"I've got _a lot _more Stinky Kenai stories if you want to hear 'em." Koda blabbed. He is _so _grounded. Luckily I was saved from further embarrassment, for when we were passing a small lake my friends Rutt and Tuke appeared.

"Well we like, gotta go eh." Rutt called back to someone behind them."Yeah, we'll give you a call."

"Catch you later!" Tuke called.

"Yeah we gotta go, _work out." _Rutt added.

"Yeah gotta keep these muscles really buff, eh." Tuke ventured.

"Yeah, so long eh." Rutt finished. "Oh hey, Big Bear." So, they finally noticed me.

"Beauty eh?" Tuke added.

"Oh hey guys." I said, I was _so _glad to see them.

"Boy are we glad to see _you, _eh." Rutt responded. No way, how ironic.

"Yeah cause we finally found us a couple of _real _moosettes, right down there, eh." Tuke gestured with his head."They're over there by the stream."

"Bye!" they blurted at them, waving their hooves in the air. I noticed that the two 'moosettes' were wearing very awkward, and freaked-out expressions. I smirked.

"Yeah but they won't give us the time of day, eh." Tuke added sadly.

"Yeah you know, so we were hoping that you could help us with an opening line, like: Hey, I see you like to eat twigs." Rutt agreed.

"Or a sonet, eh. Like, shall I compare thee to a summer's dew." Tuke sweeped his leg-arm dramatically, snorting. I rolled my eyes. This was stupid.

"Oh gee." Rutt rolled his eyes too, I thought he was maybe going to say something right for the first time in his life. "Forget that 'brainy' stuff, eh, they're not _owls_." Then again, I've been wrong before.

_"This is ridiculous_." I thought, shaking my head.

"Personally, I like: Hey ladies, nice doola, are those real?" the two burst into hideous fits of snort-like laughter. They froze when they heard something.

"Excuse me!" it was Nita. They began to panic, ridiculously trying to hide themselves.

"Oh hunter! Bye!" Tuke screamed.

"Every moose for himself!" Rutt yelled, before the two of them his behind me, shaking, their terribly large antlers locked.

"Act like we're not here." Rutt whispered.

"It's okay, this is Nita, she's with me and Kenai." Koda explained. I watched Nita shift her wait and put her hands on her hips.

"She is?" Rutt asked, amazed.

"Oh, how's it going, eh?" Tuke asked."Pleased to meet you, eh." But Nita ignored them.

"Kenai!? What's the hold up!? We _have _to make camp on that side of the hill before sundown." she whined, then, finally noticing Rutt and Tuke, she added."Oh, nice to meet you." I looked back at them with a smirk, my eyebrows raised.

"_Scary, _isn't she?" I drawled, amused at my friends wide eyes.

"Let's _go, _we're running out of daylight."she sighed beginning to walk away from me. I ran in front of her, blocking her path.

"Nita, calm down, we've got plenty of time." I assured.

"A smart traveler always allows for unexpected delay." she pressed. Wow is she stubborn. I sighed.

"Well this won't _be _a delay if you let me have a minute to give these guys a little, _romantic _advice." she stared at me like I was crazy. I flashed her my most charming smile, thinking that she would be impressed. Yeah right. She burst out laughing.

"Romantic advice?" she snorted."From _you?" _she walked away laughing, Koda followed her, loyally giggling behind her."Stop kidding around."she called to me over her shoulder. I watched them walk away, my eyebrows raised, a bemused look on my face. If she wanted to walk away, then that's too bad, because she wasn't going anywhere, I knew _exactly _how to make her stay.

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	6. Impressing the Ladies

I raised an eyebrow. Who said guys don't have good romantic advice. I turned back to Tuke and Rutt, who were shaking with terror from the short encounter with Nita.

"You know boys," I raised my voice loud so she would hear, and turned my head to see her reaction." I think this calls for more than just an _opening line." _she stopped short. Ha ha. She twisted her body and stared at me, anger displayed over her delicate features. I couldn't help but smirk...er...smile.

"Oh yeah, yeah, sure." Tuke agreed. Nodding his head.

"Mmmhmmm....ok." Rutt squeeked. I snapped my head back to them.

"Acts, of bravery." I continued, my voice still loud enough for Nita to hear, oh how I love annoying her."That's what really impresses the _ladies."_ I smiled, pleased that Nita was coming back to us. She was walking towards us, a deep scowl on her face.

"Gee....bravery sounds scary." Tuke commented.

"Yeah." Rutt faithfully agreed.

"No, no, no, no, no, you just have to _pretend _to be brave." I replied, glancing at a smirking Koda.

"I'll go out there, and act all _ferocious," _a fascinated smile broke out on Koda's face as he listened to my plan,_"_while you guys come out of the beaver dam.............and rescue them." I gave them a look and began walking towards the river.

"Oh, okay." Rutt responded, looking a lot less alarmed.

"Yeah, that's a beauty plan, eh?" Tuke agreed, following me.

"He's smart, eh?" Rutt complimented."Not like you." she said to Tuke.

"Oh get out, eh." Tuke shot back.

"Kenai, we don't have time for this." Nita whined from behind me."_Kenai!"_

"It's no use," I heard Koda chuckle,"this falls under 'you can't tell Kenai nothin'." I rolled my eyes. _Whatever._

I climbed on top of a boulder a few feet from wear the two 'moosettes' were grazing, and began to roar the most passionate one I ever did. Maybe it would have impressed Nita, not just Koda and the moosettes. I glanced in her direction, she looked utterly bored. I tried again, roaring even louder this time.

"Roooooooaaaaaar!" I yelled. "Roooooooaaaar!" I felt like an idiot, with my paws raised in the air. I lookd around for Rutt and Tuke. _Where were they?_

_"_What's wrong with him?" I heard one of the moosettes whisper.

"Maybe he got ahold of some bad samon." the other one offered. _Nice. _Not exactly what I was aiming for. Too make matters worse, I heard Nita sigh.

"This, is stupid." she grumbled, resting her chin on her hand. Like an idiot, I continued anyway.

"Roooooaaar!" I yelled one last time, before I heard the brothers whispering behind me.

"Look, this oughta impress the ladies for sure, eh?" Rutt asked.

"Yeah." Tuke snorted. Those two just don't get it. How could someone be so clueless? No wonder they're single.

"I'm a big hungry bear, and I'm gonna rip you to shreds.....rooooooooaaaar!" I roared, waving my arms. The two moosettes gave each other looks that showed that they doubted my mental stability. "Rooooooar.....I said I'm gonna rip you to.....er..........shreds." I stammered, nodding my head at the brothers, gesturing for them to come out.

"Uhoh, I think that's our cue, eh?" Tuke asked, nervously.

_"No, you think?" _I thought.

"Yeah, beauty, eh." Rutt agreed, following after his older brother.

"Let's go." Tuke lept on the beaver dam, balancing awkwardly."Fear not! Moosettes!" he yelled."I, Tuke, and my brother, Rutt, will save you, eh."

"Yeah, eh." Rutt agreed. I glanced at the moosettes. Clearly by their disgusted expressions our plan wasn't working. Infact, it was failing, painfully.

"Go away bear!" Tuke called.

"Yeah, touch not, the fair ladies." Rutt added.

"Yeah, you're going to have to go through us." Tuke yelled.

"You're going to have to _kill _us, eh." Rutt shouted. Tuke flashed him an "are-you-crazy" look.

"What, no, no, not _kill _us." Tuke said in a panicky whisper.

"Sorry," Rutt whispered to Tuke, then much louder,"Or maybe not _kill _us, but push us down........er.........or something." he corrected. I shut my eyes in embarrassment.

"_Why do I even bother?" _I thought, as I ran down the slope and uttered one last roar. That one was pretty good if I do say so myself. Then it happened, their eyes widened, and they ran away screaming, jumping into the lake, getting me wet with a giant splash. I glanced over at Koda's direction, Nita was rolling her eyes and sighing, but Koda was rolling around laughing. I do have to admit though, it _was _kind of funny.

"Gee...that was scary, eh?" Rutt asked, as they floated on the water. I jumped into the water with them.

"Yeah, you can go back to grazing, nothing to see here." Tuke stammered as they floated past the freaked-out moosettes.

"Toodooloo!" Rutt called. I ran after them.

"Hey wait, guys, where are you going? Don't leave!" I panicked, they were blowing my chance to impress someone. Suddenly I heard a low growl, the moosettes were glaring at me, I took a step back and giggled nervously. But they grabbed me and threw me across th pond and right into the beaver dam, making me get my head stuck in it. I heard Nita giggling. Not the _best _way to impress someone.


	7. Radar

**Hi guys. Sorry I don't update fast enough, you know, school. Anyway, read, enjoy, and review please.**

I heard her footsteps and laughter as she and Koda approached me. It felt so awkward, with my head stuck and my butt sticking out. I just hoped that Kenai wouldn't comment on how big it is.

"Ugg. This used to be such a quiet river." I heard the older moosette complain as she walked off.

"I know, tell me about it." the younger agreed. I sighed. _Whatever_.

"That went well." I heard Nita tell Koda sarcastically. I struggled to get out, grunting as my.....quote:"fat head".....wouldn't budge.

"Hey Kenai!" she called to me."I thought you were supposed to be scaring _moose_." she giggled. I was too busy with my head to come up with a menacing come back.

"Do you think you could help me out?" I pleaded, following more grunts and groans.

"Do all his plans end up with his head stuck in something?" I heard her whisper to Kenai.

"Most of 'em." he chuckled.

"Koda!" I yelled._ Traitor_.

"Well they_ do_." Koda defended himself. Nita let out a soft laugh.

"Calm down Kenai," she said, grabbing a stick,"we'll try to get you out of here." I knew she was still laughing inside, I made a very impressive sight with my butt sticking out like that. I heard her pick up a stick, and after a short pause and a gasp, don't ask me why she gasped, my butt couldn't have been _that _beautiful, I heard her climb on the beaver dam, the wood crunching under her weight. I heard her stand over to me.

"Let's see here." she thought out loud, and rammed the stick-pole into the beaver dam, up my back.

"OW!" I screamed. "Aaaaa." I grunted and twisted.

"It would have been a lot easier if he didn't have such a fat head." I heard Kenai tell her above me. I rolled my eyes and let out a low growl. Does that twerp ever give his mouth a rest? Where is the "off" button to him? Nita ignored him and rammed the stick in again. We both grunted as she tried to push me out. I pulled a little to hard. The dam cracked and Nita fell, right on top of me. Awkward. I heard a splash and I started moving backward. Suddenly, the sticks cleared and I could see the sun. Koda jumped through the hole and grinned at me.

"Hi Kenai!" he giggled. I gave him a dry, unamused glance.

"Hi Koda." I replied flatly.

"Oh no!" I heard Nita scream from on top of my back. She clung on to my fur. "My bag! The amulet is in my bag!" she yelled. I rolled my eyes. I could see it in the river.

"It's floating right in front of you!" I called to her."Just _grab_ it!" Girls. Seriously, why did they freak over every little thing? I felt her try to reach it, but then she drew back, clutching on to my fur even tighter.

"I...I can't" she stammered, her voice sounding defeated."You get it! It's right there! Grab it!" she yelled. I tried to pull myself out of my little wooden prison. I didn't get what her problemo was, why was she freaking? She tugged at my fur.

"Kenai! Get it!" she screamed. I spat out the water that was flooding into my mouth, as Koda climbed on top of my head.

"I'm a little......*spits out water*........busy.....*spit*.......here." I grunted.

"It's getting away!" she cried."Wait Kenai! Help! It's getting away! Get it! Get it! Get it!" she whined, pounding on my back. It hurt.

"Ow! Stop..." I was cut off as the dam broke and water flooded us. I heard Nita scream as we fell in the water, both she and Koda on my back.

"The amulet!" she yelled. Jumping off my back she landed on the ground and sprinted off into the direction of the current, a huge waterfall. Koda jumped off me and we both began running after Nita and the current.

"Look! There it is!" she pointed to the red leather bag, bobbing in the ice-blue water. We got as far as we could get to the waterfalls edge, before the bag fell into the fog below. I watched Nita on the rocks, desperately searching for it. Koda spoke up.

"I guess this would qualify for one of those 'unexpected' delays." Kenai told us. I flashed him a "not-helping" look, before the bag bobbed up and resurfaced in the river below.

"Ah, there it is." I pointed out to Nita. Her face lit up.

"Oh, thank goodness." she breathed, putting a hand on her heart. When the bad washed up to shore a sneaky little raccoon saw it and grabbed it. Nita gasped and screamed.

"Hey, wait! That's my stuff!" she yelled when the raccoon began to pull things out of it, getting a hold of the necklace I gave her. "You leave that alone!" she yelled, wagging a finger at him. The raccoon ignored her, grabbed her stuff and ran off. Nita threw her hands up in the air. Koda and I stared at her, it was funny but at the same time intimidating."Uh, come on!" she groaned. She began to run down the side of the water fall, Koda and I at her heels.

"It's gone, oh the amulet is gone!" she cried when we had reached the bottom. I stared at her. I felt bad forh er.

"That's cause there is no better thief than the masked bandit. Once they get a hold of something in there clutches, you might as well forget about it. The ice age will end before you get it back." Koda gloated. With each word I winced. This was clearly not helping. Nita turned her anger on me. I was on her radar. The bag, however, was not.

"Thanks alot Kenai!" she barked, stomping over to me. I blinked at her. "

Me? What did I do?" I demanded......innocently.

"This is all your fault!" she pointed at me, blaming me.

"My fault?" I asked, shocked.

"If you hadn't...." I cut her off. As much as I felt sorry for her, I wasn't going to listen to this crap.

"Whoa, whoa whoa. Your the one who destroyed an entire beaver dam..."

"Well I wouldn't have destroyed it if you hadn't gotten your head stuck in it!" she fired back at me.

"I'm not the one who had it in reach and let it float away!" I argued. "My head was stuck what's your excuse?" Nita opened her mouth, shocked, and at a loss of words, but then she closed it. Instead, she hunched her shoulders, crossed her arms, and shuffled away from me. I heard her begin to cry.

"What am I going to do now?" she whispered to herself. "If I don't burn the amulet I can't marry Atka." I watched her cry. I didn't get why it bothered me so much to see her cry. For some reason I never wanted to see her tears again. It's becasue of our old friendship, I convinced myself. I wanted to come up to her, tell her everything would be alright and hug her. But I didn't.

**Poor Kenai, and his confused emotions. Thanks for all of your reviews. I love them, really, thank you SO much, each and every one of ya, you guys rock! Review please.**


	8. Midnight Search

**Thanks for reviewing, guys, you're so nice. Here's the next chapter, sorry for taking so long. Love ya, review please.**

The rest of the evening was quiet. A graveyard woud have been more cheery than than we were. Nita made a fire while while Koda and I caught a few fish. We ate them in silence, feeding our rumbling stomachs. Then, without a word, Nita turn away and fell asleep. A short time after Koda dozed off with her, snoring softly. I couldn't sleep. I felt bad. I didn't know what to do. In my mind, it felt as if I was arguing with my older brother, Sitka. I never thought he could be this annoying.

_"You must go find it."_ his voice said. I jumped up.

"Why should I?" I demanded.

"_Because you like her?"_ he suggested. I snorted.

"That's the stupidest idea I've ever heard. You've been up there for to long, Sitka, your heads stuck in the clouds." I raged, how could he say that? Or even think it?

_"Do it." _he commanded.

"Forget about it." I shot back.

_"I'll help you."_ he persuaded. I frowned.

"How can you help me?" I asked, almost out loud."You're dead."

_"Good point, but I'll be with you." _he whispered. I snorted.

"I won't do it." I refused.

_"If you put your mind to it, you can accomplish anything."_ you prophesied. I rolled my eyes.

"Right." I muttered sarcastically.

_"Why not? You are the bear of love, come on."_ he pointed out. I made an expression that looked like I just ate some bad fish. Seriously, I could be _so_ immature sometimes.

"Please don't call me that."

_"Go out there and search for the amulet." _he ordered.

"You are so annoying, and you aren't even hear." I spat.

_"I am a figment of your imagination, little brother."_ he replied calmly. Even though I couldn't see him, I just_ knew_ he was laughing at me.

"Then go away." I moaned, covering my head with my paws. He always talked to me during moments like this, stirring up my guilt, trying to be my conscience.

_"Not until you find the amulet."_

"She only wants it because of him. This, _Atka_." I emphasized the name with a shudder."Who is he anyway? Why is he so special all of a sudden?" he ignored my question.

_"Kenai, have I taught you nothing? Search." _this remark made me feel guilty, but I refused to be a push-over.

"I simply must refuse." I spat. In the silence that followed, I could feel him glaring at me. He sighed. I jumped up.

"Okay, fine, alright I'm going," I muttered,"gosh you're so annoying when _you_ put your mind to it."

I stood up slowly, and trudged towards the direction where the masked bandit had disappeared. I shuffled my feet, as if they were made of lead. Many times I wanted to turn around, but didn't because I feared Sitka's scolding, or the disappointment in Nita's eyes. I put my muzzle to the ground and sniffed. I drew back instantly. Gosh that little raccoon smelled horrible. I forced myself to look for tracks. It took me hours. Many times the tracks would disappear, as if dissolving and mixing with red earth. Tired, I dropped down and closed my eyes, attempting to sleep. But whenever my eyes were shut, they were replaced by the image of sadness in Nita's face, so hauled myself up ad kept going. So much for all your help, Sit.

Finally, when the first pink rays of light were appearing over the peaks of the snow-capped purple mountains, I had a trail. With each step I took, I became more and more confident, going faster and faster. The trail went on for a quarter mile, through shrubs and melting snow, until it stopped at a tree in the middle of a clearing, the scent continuing up it. So _this _is where the little guy lived. Ghetto. I yawned and blinked a few times, my triumphant rising as the brilliant golden sun over the horizon. I curled up by the tree, and closed my eyes, strangely, the image of Nita's saddened expression wasn't haunting me anymore. Thanks Sitka.

* * *

I must have slept for about two hours, because when I woke up to Koda shaking me and excitedly screaming my name, the sun was already up in the sky and shining through the branches of the sweet-scented pine trees. Koda jumped on me and I winced, rolling over and gently sliding him off of me. Koda was rambling a mile a minute, and as usual, I had no idea what he was talking about. I blinked a few times at him.

"Whoa, Koda, slow down, what's happening?" I yawned. Koda was out of breath, but forced himself to slow down.

"You found the River Masked Bandit's hideout?" he was looking at me as if I was a superhero. I yawned again, acting like it was no big deal, but inside, I was beaming.

"Oh that." I yawned and stretched, climbing on all fours."It's nothing."

"What do you_ mean_, it's nothing?" Koda quoted, I thought that if his yes get any wider they were going to roll out of his head."It's the _R.M.B_.!" he yelled.

"The what?" Koda stared at me as if I was crazy.

"R.M.B. as in the River Masked Bandit!" he cried, I was afraid he was going to have a stroke."Everybody knows what it stands for."

"Oh." I replied nonchalently."So where's Nita?" I made my tone sound as if I couldn't care less. Koda saw right through me.

"Nita! Nita! Where art though Nita?" he put his paw over his heart and fainted dramatically. I thought he has been listening to Rutt's poetry a little too much.

"Cut it out." I snapped."Where is she." Koda shrugged.

"At the campsite." he replied nonchalantly.

"You left her!?" I yelled."Alone!?"

"Nita's a big girl she can......."

"Go get her!" I cut him off."And tell her I found her precious little amulet." Koda made a mock salute and scampered off. I smiled, and continued to look up at the tree.

**Just thought I'd show you how he found it. Hope you liked it. Review please.**


	9. The Amulet

**My keyboard sucks it's malfunctionig. Refuses to type. Stupid piece of junk. Anyways, here's the next one. Enjoy guys! Love ya! Review please!**

This is so boring. Where did Koda go? I mean honestly, you can't turn your back on that little bugger for more than five seconds. He had been gone for atleast hafl an hour now, and he sill hasn't returned...with Nita. I lay still, crouched in the snow, my eyes glued to the tree. The River Masked Bandit, excuse me, the _R.M.C_., still hasn't come out yet. Sleeping in? No duh. It's day time. I yawned slightly, before I heard snapping twigs and crunching snow from paws and feet behind me I turned my head around and saw that Koda was running towards me, with Nita racing hot on his heels, or hind-paws. I called them over.

"Nita! Nita!" I whispered sharply."Over here!"

She snapped her head in the direction of my voice and rushed ahead of Koda towards me, jumping over a log."Where is it?" she demanded."Did you get it?" Figures. That's all she cares about.

But I showed no emotion, because I was _not_ jealous, not at all, no matter how much you think I was."Shhhh!" I whispered urgently."I don't have it yet! It's up in that tree." her beauitif...er...tolerable eyes snapped to the top. She rolled them at me. See this Sitka? This is the thnks I get, eh? Happy now!

I continued."I'm waiting for them to..." she sighed and rolled her eyes again, and began to climb the huge pine tree."...fall asleep!" I shouted in a whisper, if you know what I mean. Koda climbed on to my back to watch.

"Nita! Wait!" I shouted, rushing over to the tree, she could hurt herslef. Koda was trown off my back.

"Hey!" he yelped, but I ignored him. Koda scampered after me.

"Nita! What are you doing?" I demanded. She glancd down at me.

"I'm getting my amulet back." she said matter-faclty, like i was the most obvious thing in the world and I am an idiot for not knowing. I agreed with her. I _am_ in idiot. For example...

"Nta! Let me handle this!" I begged. Yes, begged. I didn't know I could 'care' so much. Denahi would be rolling around on the floor, laughing at me. Loser.

"I'm_ fine_. I got it covered." she assured me.

"No, seriously, you could fall!" Koda was smirking behind me, I could feel it.

"Shhh!" she said sharply."I'm trying to concentrate!" with a grunt, she continued her climb. My heart was pounding in my chest, I was afraid that it wwoul be loud enough to wake up the R.M.B. Ifsomething happened to Nita, I'd...I heard a twig snap. My paw flew up to my ees. could not bear to watch this. With a yelp, she fell. I opened my eyes just a crack. She was okay, still on the tree. I sighed with relief. But our cover was blown.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!" the R.M.B. barked above us, blinking in the sun."Can any of you _morons_, define the term, nocturnal?"_ Ouch_. Nita continued her climb on the other side of the tree. I backed off.

"Uh...sorry..."I lauged nervously."Sorry, it's completely_ my _fault, hehe, just me." I suck at lieing. That was pathetic. I ood a deep breath and leaned on the tree."Um...listen...you got something of ours."

The racoon blinked hard at me. Then raised an annoyed eyebrow. Not the sort of encouragement I was aiming for.

"Hehe, it's_ round_, about so big." I made a circle shape with my paws. He smirked at me. Then shrugged.

"Maybe I do, and maybe I don't." he replied smugly."It's for me to know and you to find out." Gosh, that is the most obnoxtious thing to say."Either way it'sloser's point." he continued."Losers keepers, finders weepers, that's the way of the woods."

"Hey! You didn't find it! You_ stole _it!" I was impressed with Koda's words.

"Alright!" he raised his hands in the air."You got me. We steal from the rich, and give to te less fortunate. YOu know, like us." Koda and I glaned around to see hundreds of racoons snickering at us from the tree branches. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Nita ascending, I shot her a worried glance, bu she didn't see it.

"Now, you don't want to mess ith Kenia." Koda piped in again."He's a lean, mean, raccon-butt-kiching machine." he bluffed. I shook my head slightly, panickingly, at him._ No I'm not!_ He only growled at them some more. I glanced up, they were al hoding pine cones. Koda scampered behind me.

"Heehee." I chuckled nervusly, before ducking and putting my arms over my head as the pine cones showered on us.

"Ow! Ow!Ow!" I complained as each cone hit my head.

"Go ahea! He can take it! Show 'em what ya got!" Koda shouted at them from behind me.

"Koda!" I shouted through my teeth. I didn't have anyone to use as a sheild!"What are you doing!"

Koda lowered his voice, as if it was some huge army secret he was abot to tell me."I'm tricking them into using all of their ammo." He thought he was a genius, buI burst his bubble.

"Koda! Ow! It's a pine...ow...forest!" I yelled a him through my gritted teet.

Kod frowned, deep in thought. He opened his mouth. "Oh. Right. This could take a while."

I replied with a hysterical angry laugh."Ya think?"

I suddenly got a bright idea, something I haven't been recieving since Nita showed up."Whoa! Whoa! Stop!" I waved my arms."How about a trade?''

The R.M.B.'s eyes suddenly brightened with greed. "Whoa! Hold you fire! Hold fire!" he commanded. I sighed with relief when the shooting stopped."He wants to trade!"

Their greed was like a virus. It quickly spread through to the other racoons as their eyes lit up with the same eerie glow, and they licked their lips."Mmmm, trade." they chanted.

"Watcha got?" the R.M.B. asked me.

"Haha!" I laughed stupidly a nervously. I'm in trouble. I looked around me, still laughing. Koda watched me with admiration and curiousity. _Don't get your hopes up, hon, your big brother's an idiot_. I tought."I've got lots of things." I picked up a hard brown pine cone from the huge pile around me. I winced."I've got...pinecones?"

He shook his head."Not good enough!"

I searched furiously, knowing that the firing will start again any second. "I've got a stick...it's...long."

He shook his head, annoyed and disgusted."I can't believe it!" he snarled."That you don't have anything good to trade."

Suddenly, someone yelled,"MAAAMAAAAA!" and we all snapped our heads to the other tree. Nita was suspended on a branch, glancing nervously around her at th vicious racoons who were bearing their teeth. Her frightened, wide eyes met mine.

"Uh...Nita, think it's time to go!" I shouted up at her.

Then came the scream. That pained, terrified scream as she let go of the snapping tree branch. She fell atleast for ten feet, still screaming, before she landed on a different branch that could support her weight. Koda and I watched, refusing to breath or blink as Nita ran an jumped from tree branch to tree branch, panick in her huge brown eyes. With a yelp, she grabbed a stick and started to swing them at racoons that were marching up to her, like regiments or battalions. Out of the corners of my eyes I noticed reinforcements sneaking in behind her. Oh no. I ran closer to her.

"Nita! Behind you!" before she could turn around they pounced, sending her flying down to another tree. She climbed up it.

Koda raised his eyebrows."Not bad!" I ignored him, watching Nita intently.

"I got an idea!" I told him. "Come on!" we ran up to the tree. "Nita go to the top!" I bit my lip, praying this would work unlike last time with the trade thing.

"What?" she frowned in disbelief. The raccoons were getting closer to her."I'm trying to get _down_!"

She didn't trust me. We didn't have time for this."Just listen to me I know what I'm doing." Liar.

She stared at me, but when the R.M.B. started speaking to her, she turned and climbed up. My face lit up with a triumphant glow."Yes! Yes! Keep going!" I turned and ran to the opposite tree. Koda followed.

I began climbing it."Kenai!" I glanced at her, she was at the top. The R.M.B. was saying something to her and reaching for her necklace.

"Nita! Let go!" I shouted.

Her eyes widened. "_What_! This is your plan?" Pretty much.

I watched her swallow hard and wrap a hand around the amulet."Kenai, this better work." she let go of the tree and screamed. "Catch meeee!" I reached out and grabbed her, falling off the tree myself. With a scream I landed on the snow and Nita on me. We were going faster and faster, slamming into the snow. Didn't girls hate getting wet? Great! She's going to hate me even more. Sh climbed out of the snow, her wet black bangs plastered to her forehead. Too my surprise, she laughed. She was okay, and I was laughing with her.

**Thanks again guys! Review please!**


	10. Woman's Point of View

**Hey guys! Sorry for taking so long! Thanks for your awesome reviews! Enjoy!**

Nita looked at me and burst out laughing. I was holding my breath, and then I relaxed and laughed with her. As scary and dangerous and life-threatening as it was, it was still unbelievably fun."That was a lot of raccoons." I laughed, climbing out of the snow.

She stood infront of me, giggling."I-I-I can't believe I out ran _all_ of them!"

"And then when you jumped out of that tree!" I circled around her.

She jumped up and down excitedly."Oooh! Oooh! And when you caught me!"

"Oh and when we fell!" I exclaimed."You were amazing."

She closed her eyes."You were amazing!"

We looked at each other. Calming down our laughter. Maybe Nita wasn't so bad anymore."I'm just glad we got the old Nita back."

She looked at me oddly, putting the amulet around her neck."What do you mean?" she frowned, and put her hands on her hips."The old Nita?"

My mind kept screaming: fix it!"The _fun_Nita!" she didn't buy it. I raised an eyebrow."You know you've been kind of a stick in the mud this entire trip." Her frown deepend. Fail. I braced myself for her wrath.

"_Okay_, maybe you _don't_ know." I added awkwardly."It's just good to see you loosen up a bit, ya know?" Nita glared at me and set her jaw. My knees buckled.

She crossed her arms."Now hold on..."

At that precise moment, Koda slid down the hill behind us. I have never been happier to see him in my entire life."EWWW! What stinks?" he walked over to me.

I backed away."It's not_ me_, Koda." That's embarrassing.

He plugged his nose."That is the most disgustingest thing I've ever smelled." he looked around excitedly."Let's go check it out!" I laughed and followed him.

"Hey! Hey! Now wait a minute! Hey!" I heard Nita shout at me from behind. I ignored her. She must be crazy to expect me to stand around and take her anger. No thanks, I choose life."I'm not finished!" she shouted. Yeah, like I care. I heard her annoyed sigh, and I guess she dropped it.

We walked around a few trees, following the smell with our noses, when we heeard someone familiar."Oh brother, I've never known a moose to take this long, eh."

"Don't rush me!" We heard Rutt's squeaky voice."I can't do it while you're watching, eh!"

"Oh geez." Tuke muttered."You're getting it on my leg!" We walked over lcoser and saw Rutt rolling in a puddle of brown...eww...ewww...EWWWW!

"Sorry!" he said. Tuke noticed me.

"Oh hey, Largish Bear!" he waved.

"Oh howz it going, eh?" Rutt asked as ew approached them, plugging our noses.

"Boy are we glad to see you!"_ No doubt_.

"Beauty, eh?" Rutt called.

"We're stil getting a brush out of those moosettes." Tuke gestured back with his head.

"Yeah, they seem immune to our rugged good looks, eh." Rutt added, slathering more...uh...'mud'...under his arm. I snorted. _Right_.

Tuke snorted when he laughed."Yeah so we thought that we'd appeal to their smelling senses."

"Eww!" Koda moaned from beside me.

"For example..."Tuke said, walking over to a pile of leaves."I am wearing essence of wet leaves with just a hint on sandlewood." he slathered it on himself and walked over to me. The disgusting smell burned the insides of my nostrils.

"Eww!" I yelled.

"And I'm accenting my natural moose smell with a scent of pinewood and river mud." Rutt dragged himself across the puddle.

"Ew." Koda muttered.

"I got news for you brother, that wasn't mud!" Tuke replied laughing. We all shrieked in horror.

"Eww. That's not good." Rutt jetted out of the ...er...poop.

"Guys! Guys!" I interfered."Don't sweat it! I've got another plan."

"Oh yeah!" I heard a feminine voice scoff behind me. I turned aruond, Nita was leaning against a tree, smirking."I think we've all seen your...'expertise'...on romance."

Koda laughed from behind me. I glared at him."Yeah, very funny. Don't we have an amulet to burn?"

I began walking away. She stopped me."Oh we can spare a moment." she smiled.

"Beauty, eh?" Tuke exclaimed.

"What we need here." She approached Rutt and picked a leaf off of his nose. She glanced back at me with a cocky smirk."Excuse me."

I growled."...is a _woman_'s point of view." she added. I snorted.

"Yeah?" Tuke asked.

"_And_...a plan that actually _works_." she pulled another leaf of of Rutt's nose and flung it back. It landed on mine. I shook it off and growled at her. I didn't want to listen to this. I walked away until I was out of earshot, and watched the four huddle and speak excitedly. Then I saw Koda run towards the moosettes. I frowned. What did_ he _have to do with this? I approached Nita who was now hiding behind a tree, and watched with her.

Koda ran up the the moosettes and his behind their bony legs."Hi, I'm playing with my two best friends, and I need a place to hide." he hugged one of their legs. _Oh please_.

"Oh, look at the sweet little thing." one exclaimed.

"Geez I could just eat him up!" the other added.

"Psst! Go! Go! Get moving!" Nita hissed at Tuke and Rutt, gesturing at the moosettes.

"Beauty, eh?" Tuke said, starting to move.

Rutt hesitated."Good luck, eh!"

Nita ran to him and started to push him."Rutt! Get going!"

"Okayyy." he stammered. She resumed hr post behind the tree.

''Excuse us, ladies." the moosettes looked unamused."We're looking for our pal."

"Brownish?" a moosette asked.

"Why, yes!" Tuke replied.

"Furry?"

"Yes again."

"Uh, yay big?" the moosette raised her hoove about two feet off the ground.

"Yes, that's him!" Tuke exclaimed excitedly.

"Haven't seen him." one said flatly. The other giggled.

Suddenly Koda sprung up from behind them."Here I am! I fooled ya, I win!" he giggled.

Tuke tickled him with an antler."You sure did, little buddy."

"Oh you're so good with him!" the moosettes marveled. I can't believe it. It's working. I glanced back at Nita, she smirked at me.

"Oh yeah, we know lots of baby animals. We've got a little...lets see...a little badger...a little rabbit...and even a baby weasle." Tuke listed off he animals. Such a liar.

Tuke leaned in to whisper to a shaking Rutt."Look, smallish bear is like a babe magnet, eh?"

"Uhh." Rutt stammered.

"Socialize!" Tuke hissed.

"Would you be interested in grazing on some twigs?" he asked.

One moosette shook her head."No thanks, we just...OW!" the other jammed her in the side.

"We love twigs." she muttered.

"Really? Well so do we, right little brother?" Tuke glanced at Rutt.

Rutt exploded."Shall I compare thee to a summer's dew?" he collapsed. Tuke, Nita, and I all winced.

"Nice going, eh!" Tuke muttered.

"What's wrong with him?" a moosette asked.

"Don't mind my little brother," Tuke replied, leading them away, "he was trampled by an elk herd when he was a calf."

Rutt stood up."That's not true, eh, it was only _half _a herd."

"Smooth." Koda muttered. I turned away but Nita blocked me, crossing her arms triumphantly.

"Remind me again, who's the better moose-matchmaker?" she raised an eyebrow.

I smiled at her."Beginner's luck."

She laughed."Jealous?" Oh no she didn't.

"Whoa whoa whoa!" I protested.

Koda ran up."Hey guys!" I ignored him.

"Okay, you can do pretty amazing things, I'll give you that." I said. She laughed even more. She had such a pretty laugh.

"Thank you!" she said.

I heard Koda yell."Wait for me!" But I didn't.

**Thanks for reading. Review please. :) THANKS!**


	11. Together

**Hi guys! Sorry for taking too long, you know, life. **

**I really hope that this is an imrovement from the last chapter. *Grimaces.***

**Only way for me to find out is by your reviews. ;) *Hint hint.***

It was nice to be with this Nita. The fun Nita. _My _Nita. It was like being taken back in time to my human life; before my brother died, before I killed Koda's mother, before I was first unwillingly turned into a bear. It was like the 'good old days' when we were just a couple of kids with nothing to worry about, and our top priority was to have fun. Everytime she laughed, that beautiful sound that glitters like melting spring snow, throwing her head back in amusement at her own joke, the brilliant sun highlighting auburn streaks in her otherwise raven hair, it made everything seem easy. Natural. Like this was the way things were supposed to be.

Her teasings bothered me no longer. And neither was she hurt or annoyed when I knocked her down with my own. She pushed me around, giggling, making fun of my big head, and I nudged her arm with it, mocking her anxious tone whenever she worried about not being able to make it to the fall in time.

Koda ran around us in circles, sometimes riding on my back, other times, resting in Nita's obsessive arms. We laughed together at the ridiculous faces Koda made at us, crossing his eyes and twisting his mouth into ludicrous shapes that were too absurd to describe. After hours of walking, the rocky trail burst through the snow ornamented pine trees, the pathetically-small, but to us triumphantly enchanting run-off of the stream that was attached to Hokani Falls burst into view.

We were conquerers, we have already gotten half way, I felt on top of the world. I turned my head slightly in Nita's direction, surprised to find her intense meeting my own. Her expressionless face, like a chiseled stone carving of a sun goddess, burst into a wide, unexpected grin. I produced a bear-size smile that matched her own, and she erupted into war cries of victorious shouts. Screaming in accomplishment, she jumped up and down so high, the ground thudded when it was met with her beaded moccasins again.

"Yes!" Koda roared in sync with Nita, his laughter congruent to ours. Spontaneously, he took off running towards the small stream, yelping enthusiastically as his paws met the water, his brown paws soaking up the azul liquid.

Abruptly, Nita's laughter ended as unexpectedly as it had begun. I followed in suit, bemused at her drastic change in behavior. I shot her a double-take, but she didn't return it. Her amber eyes were fixed intently on Koda, and I was convinced that there was no strong enough force of nature to break that gaze. Her eyes grew bigger, the charcoal pupils larger despite the light. She took a frantic step forward, but her foot had frozen in place just a few yards from the stream and Koda's fishing. She reached out, seeming not to know what to do.

"Oh! Koda be careful." The obsessive, motherly crack in her voice was hardly unnoticeable.

I frowned, puzzled by her abnormal behavior."Relax." I deliberately made my voice sound more casual than it needed to be."He's fine." I shrugged indifferently, preserving my slow, carefree strides."He's just looking for lunch."

"Yeah!" Koda shouted, a hint of annoyance evident in his voice. He frowned at his reflection in the mirrored water, obviously distraught that his salmon escaped his famished clutches. He threw Nita a fleeting glance over his shoulder, dramatically rolling his eyes for all the world to see."Besides." I recognized his unmistakable showing off tone."I'm _always_careful." To prove his point, he leaped to large flat rock less than two feet away from him. His paws brushed the edges of the burnt-beige water, his nails skidding across the smooth surface...until he lost his balance, falling into the shallow end of the stream, soaking his bronze fur with in icy sapphires.

Apparently he was aiming for cool, but he missed...badly.

I felt Nita stiffen at my side, biting her full, rose-blossom lips, until his terra-cotta head reappeared out of the water, giving us a sheepish grin, insuring that he was alright. I looked back at Nita, the corner of her mouth twisted down, her forehead wrinkled with evident depression. It bothered me to see her like this, but I didn't know what I could do about it."You see." I assured her."Nothing to worry about."

Nita hesitated, her brow furrowing her, her clear, unguarded eyes were distant, and cloudy, as if she had some secret locked deeply inside herself, something she would rather not have anyone knowing about. She turned mechanically, ripping her gaze away from Koda, catching my own. She freed her face of all emotion, tilted her nose a few degrees higher, and threw her shoulders back, walking ahead of me indignantly.

No, I didn't like her this. My Nita was back, but now she was returning to the cold, cynical Nita that was too serious and responsible to allow herself to live the way she really wanted to. I shrugged mentally. Maybe this was a female thing, something that had to do with being proven wrong, and as with males, would pass as quickly as it came.

The tall, lavender mountains with soft white, snowy peaks towed majestically in the distance, beckoning, almost daring someone brave enough to attempt to challenge their monstrous frozen heights, to the vertical limit. We were going to beat height."Hey look!" I cocked my head back at Nita with a smile, in high hopes of cheering her up."We're making good time! See the pass over there?" Nita craned her neck, her eyes sweeping over the mountains' cavernous forms, a slight smoke on her berry-red lips, as if she too was willing to accept, and conquer, their vertical challenge. She gave me a nod of affirmative."We cross the river rounding up to the falls just before the pass, and then we'll make it to Hokani Falls in no time." My eyes flashed back to her."We should be there by lunch time tomorrow." I flashed her a grin.

My attempt to lift her mood seemed to have the opposite effect. She clouded over again, expressing noteable anxiety by tying with the sleeves of her furry parka. She bit her lip. I frowned."We should be there by lunch time _tomorrow_." I emphasized the word, trying to get her to understand that time was no object to us. It was a luxury we could afford. The desperate look on her heart-shaped face still remained. Honestly, the woman needs to carry a sundial with her, if worries this much she'll turn prematurely grey, and whats-his-face won't even want to marry her anymore.

She avoided my eyes, her own dancing on ever rock and evergreen in sight, thumping her fist against her hip in attempt to keep her strain at a low simmer."Well..." Well what? Are you gonna spill Nita? She intertwined with her fingers, lacing and relacing them together."...that's...a good plan, but why not this." Her gold-specked eyes lit up the way they always did whenever she was asked to speak her stubborn, opinionated mind. She spun around, using one spidery finger to point at the rocky mountains threatening before us."We-go-up-this-ridge-to-that-mountain-then-we-climb-up-those-cliffs-and-cross-that-snow-bridge-and..." She took a deep breath, turning around slowly to face us."...avoid the river altogether." She put her hands on her hips, her shoulders thrown back in pride as if she just dedicated the Stone Hedges to me. She flashed me a white-toothed grin filled with so much light, I had to look away, back at the cold, silver mountain.

Koda and I blinked at her. Was she trying to develop a sense of humor? I realized she wanted to do some climbing, I just generally assumed that the mountain pass would have been enough for her, I didn't realize she was_ that _into it. From the expression on her face and the determination in her liquid amber eyes, she was dead serious. She lifted her chin higher upon meeting me gaze."That makes more sense to _me_."

Koda grimaced."That doesn't make any sense." He complained, throwing dismissive a wave in the direction of the mountains."That's _way_ out of the way." It was totally obvious, how could she not see it."There's just too much up and not enough down." His paw flashed high and low to prove his undeniable point, and he had a good one. As 'fun' as it may seem, I was dreading the day-after climbing sore.

Hands still on hips, Nita's eyes smoldered, churning like lava, shooting arrows at us in turn with her glaze. She'll get over it. I raised my paw."I vote river."

She quirked one shapely black eyebrow in my direction, but was powerless to do anything as Koda jumped at his chance to avoid any unnecessary climbing. Exercises was overrated. His paw shot in the sky like a shooting star."Me too! Me too!" Nita wrung her hands together, watching him with hopeless eyes."Two against one! You loose! We win! Let's eat!" Koda ran off in a flash of lightning back towards the river.

Nita's worried gaze lingered on me. I hated seeing her like this. I found it uncomfortable, her ability to make me want to protect her got under my skin...fur.

She crossed her arms, her chin raised indignatly, turning way from me, childishly snappin her thick black braid into my face. I doubted that was an accident."Well...it's _my_ amulet." She replied haughtily, sticking out her bottom lip.

_Well it's _my_ nerve you're getting on_. I narrowed my eyes at her. "So?" I scoffed, what were we, six years old?

Her beautiful, yet ferocious pair of eyes wounded me to the core, but it was nothing compared to what she said next."And it's my _wedding_."

Despite my anger, I couldn't help but feel the tendency that there was some other subject that she was desperately fighting to avoid. I gritted my teeth, grinding them together so hard, I was afraid they were audible to her."Well then have your _honeymoon_up there." I glared, snapping a paw upwards in the direction of the towering, misty peaks."'Cause if we leave now, it will take us all night of walking to make. It. To. The. Falls. In. Time!" I raised my voice with each punctuated syllable. She was bringing out the ferocious monster in me, the skeleton in my closet, acquired from witnessing my brother Sitka's death. Something I endlessly didn't want to be.

She rolled her eyes, longer than necassary, probaly to make sure that I didn't miss the gesture."Fine then." She sniffed, sounding more than just a little miffed."Than I'll meet you there."

I closed my eyes and sighed, shaking my head. If I was human, I would have pinched the bridge of my nose. I let out a low, frustrated growl. Why was was being so intolerable? How hard was it to just say: _okay Kenai, you know best_. Of course _not_, because in Nita's world, Kenai knows best, but Nita knows better. Something wasn't right, and I was just going to come straight out with it. "Nita, what's wrong with you."

She expressed an unconvincing laugh."_Trust me_. _My _way will get us there before _yours_." Hate to burst your day dream bubble, but no it won't. With a flip of her hair she strolled away from me, her irritating smirk making it clear that she thought she won our battle of the wills.

"Heads up!" Koda warned as a large pink salmon came hurtling through the air, twitching as it sprayed icy water crystals into our faces. It landed right in Nita's arms, excavating a stomach-churning shriek from Nita, as she clawed it away from herself in a tremendous effort to put as much distance between her and the 'disgusting' creature as possible. She jumped, her feet lacing and twisting with themselves, forcing her to loose he balance and topple into the diamond water.

It was seconds later, her entire body shattered the water, as she scrambled to the shore, kicking violently in her pursuit to propel herself out of the 'mercilous' water, shattering it's otherwise peaceful surface. Nita's stick think needles dug deep into the soft dirt of land as if she was using long sharp claws. Her dripping hair and body left wet marks in the soil, tan sand clinging to her wet close. She rushed over to a large boulder, wishing to be as far away from the icy stream as humanly possible. She huddled against the large, dusty-red boulder, hugging her knees together, trying to keep herself in one peace as violent heaves and greedy gulps of air shook her small frame. Her black hair was plastered against her forehead, some of it was falling into her copper eyes, her face as white as the flowers on the magnolia tree.

Koda laughed loudly."You act like you're afraid of fish!" Nita blinked at him, eyes wide, then looked away in obvious shame. Koda laughed harder."She is!" I let out a chuckle, it's amusing for a bear, when someone is afraid of one of their only food sources.

Koda grabbed the poor fish that survived so much, and held it with his paw like a puppet, prancing around us in delight of knowng Nita's secret phobia. He planted himself in front of her, waving the fish in her face mercilessly."Argh! Argh! Who's afraid of fish! Argh! Argh!" I allowed myself to laugh. "My name is Nita, and I'm afraid of fish!" Nita hugged her knees tighter to her chest, not amused by one bit. In fact, she looked close to tear, her quivering lower lip and tortured set of eyes, were pleading silently for him to stop."Aaaah! The fish! It's gonna eat me! Aaah!" She winced as his cruel jeers grew louder.

I squinted at her, softening my gaze, and cleared my throat."Um, Koda. Koda stop." I said gently, aprroaching the quivering Nita slowly.

Koda ignored me. He was still doing his own thing."Aaaaaaah! The fish!"

I raised my voice, angry and annoyed at his inability to follow simple directions. I got in his face."Koda! Stop!" I shouted harshly. Koda immediately silenced, widening his innocent eyes in a bewildered expression. I gave him one more hard stare before progressing towards Nita. I sat down next to her, leaning against the pillar-like boulder.

I sighed awkardly, I wasn't sure how to do this. "We were just kidding around about the fish."

"No." She exhaled loudly."It's not the fish."

I bit my lip, listening hard to each and every syllable she uttered.

"It's the water." She looked away from me, hiding her shame. I sat back in surprise, wishing there was something I could do to lessen her pain."Ever since that day I fell through the ice when we were kids..." She trailed off into a whisper.

I leaned closer towards her."Oh." I murmured. How could I have been so stupid? "I didn't realize it."

She flashed her palms, as if she was showing me she had nothing to hide."That's why I didn't get the amulet when we were at the river." She confessed,"It wasn't your fault we lost the amulet." She bit her lip,"It was _mine_." She whispered.

I nudged her arm, giving her a sympathetic smile."Hey, we got it back together, that's all that matters, right?" That evicted a small smile. but I'll take all that I can get.

I rolled over onto my paws."You ready to go on?" I asked, the way a leader would.

She stood up, dusting herself off."But..." She bit her lip. "I'll never be able to cross that river." She took a timid step towards me.

I smiled."We can do that together too."

All three of us walked side by side, _together_, and saw each other in a new light. Nita gave me a grateful smile, breath-taking mountains framed behind her.

To me, it was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen.

**Thanks for reading. Questions/Comments/Praise?/Constructive Cristiscm Please review. :) Thanks!**


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